NYCHA: Pit Bulls, 26 Other Breeds Prohibited from the Projects

If you live in the projects, starting May 1 there are 27 breeds of dog you will not be permitted to keep in your apartment, per a New York City Housing Authority decree. The local press naturally focuses on the pit bulls, rottweilers, and dobermans excluded by this policy, as these will stir in older citizens memories of such dogs who, trained to kill by knuckleheads, newsworthily attacked innocents in olden times; here is the 1987 Times story of King, a pit bull who bit a cop and was in consequence destroyed by the ASPCA (though we wish we had an internet copy of the New York Post coverage of the case which, as we recall it, featured a photo of a placid-looking King captioned, "Awaiting Execution"). But the NYCHA also excludes Boston terriers (?!), sharpeis, and English mastiffs, among others. They say they're doing this "because of an increase in biting incidents."

Also, project-dwellers may not keep a dog over 25 pounds; the previous limit was 40, though if a weightier pet was previously registered with the Authority, he or she will be grandfathered in. So will the embargoed breeds, prompting a poster at the Pitbull Chat Forum, Bronx certified nursing assistant luckilylovinlyfe, to urge her fellows to "register your dog by APRIL 30TH... And even if you dont live in NYCHA your suppossed to register your dog anyhow... you dont ever want to run into problems where you are forced to give up your dog because of lack of registration."

The ASPCA is against the policy: "We oppose laws that discriminate against particular breeds or impose excessive weight restrictions," says their senior VP Laura Maloney. One project-dweller interviewed by NY1 is also displeased. "If they are not raising them to be vicious then I don't see what's the problem," says the unnamed Queensbridge Houses resident. Photo (cc) audreyjm529.